


Clarity

by moonflowers



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: I do not know what else to tag this, M/M, Minor AoU spoilers, Steve being all sexy and Asgardian, and Thor wants a piece of that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-02 05:40:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4048324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonflowers/pseuds/moonflowers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The girl had gotten into their heads, shown them things both familiar and unnerving in equal measure. But there was something - someone - in the vision she showed Thor that surprised him more than the rest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that bit in AoU where Wanda gets in their heads and they're all tripping balls and Thor sees all those sexy Asgard ladies writhing around and shit? And I thought to myself, you know who would look good painted gold and artfully draped in a sheet? Steve. So this is what happened.  
> I've only seen AoU once, so there will probably be some minor inaccuracies. Also some minor spoilers, if you haven't seen it yet.

The sense of confusion stayed with him for mere moments before dissipating into the vague notion that there was something he should be doing, something important... but all sense of purpose gave way at the sight of the familiar halls. The room was full of people, eating and drinking, some talking or dancing, or engaged in other things not quite so innocent. There was a low hum of voices cut through with lilting music, though when Thor tried to make out any individual conversation or melody, the details somehow escaped him, and shifted to something new. A woman reclining on a heap of richly embroidered cushions smiled up at him, and he smiled back on reflex, though he found he could make out no detail of her face other than the haughty curl of her lips. A man leaning with effortless grace against a pillar to his right said something, but Thor could not hear him, only see his mouth shaping the words. His smile became more hesitant, and he moved across the room towards the low tables loaded with food, the dancing people parting before him. But when he got there, the layout of the room had shifted, the tables far off to the left and Thor once more in the midst of the crowd. He looked about in confusion, surrounded by beautiful women as they danced, sliding and shimmering like oil on water, their robes cut purposefully to expose as much of their skin as possible without being scandalous, gold and jewels set in their hair and dripping around their throats. The halls pulsed with lustful intent and the thrill of anticipation, the night was young.

Lost as he was in the heady lull of the sort of evening he’d partaken in a hundred times before, it took Thor some time to realise that it all felt somehow odd. It appeared almost staged, like a scene in a play written just for him. Though the second this suspicion took hold, he was overcome with an inexplicable wave of comfort, familiarity, leading him to simply smile and put his previous unease down to too much drink. He did not recall putting a cup to his lips though… Setting his suspicions aside, he turned in search of friend or family to pass the evening with.

What at the time he believed to be instinct, but later on guessed to be design, he looked across the room to an alcove adorned with scenes of battle cut with great care into the stone. A man stood there. A man that Thor knew, somewhere buried deep within his mind, should not be there. Try as he might, he could not recall his name, though he was able to gather his wayward thoughts enough to be certain of his rank. This man was a captain. The Captain. Though captain of what exactly was beyond him.  
His form was as finely sculpted as the statues and busts about the room, his face cut as perfect and sharp as though the sculptor had only just set down his chisel. But this man was not the cold of stone. He was warm, alive, a flush from the drink perhaps, or the warmth of the gathering, lay light across his cheek and down his chest. He wore a light dusting of golden powder over his skin, as did many of the guests, catching in the glow of the fires, making the jut of his collarbone clear, and defining the lines of his torso. Unlike the countless others drifting and writhing about the halls, Thor was able to see his face with clarity.

They locked eyes for one heavy, slow second, recognition shifting sluggishly in the back of Thor’s mind, just out of his reach. Then the man, the Captain, looked away as though he’d not seen Thor at all, and turned his attention to a woman who was approaching him, lithe and strong as a mountain cat, all but purring as she bunched her fingers in his loosely draped garments. She angled her body deliberately towards his, a clever hand going up to the back of his neck, easing him down into a kiss. Thor felt some small stirring of discomfort, thinking that he should perhaps move off and find a partner of his own, or at the very least stop observing them, but he was unable to tear his attention away. His interest was only heightened when another joined them, a man as handsomely built and bedecked with jewels and finery as any other in the halls, drawing up behind the Captain and pressing his lips just below his ear. The newcomer’s touch was welcome, if the way he arched back into him was anything to go by, reaching up to run a hand along his thigh. It was not a foreign concept, in regards to both engaging with multiple partners and some of them being male – Thor had partaken in such things himself on occasion – though in general he preferred the intimacy of a single partner, and the curves of women over the hard lines of other men. But this one – this one he had to have.  
Though he still felt somewhat uncoordinated, Thor was not one to stand by in indecision when faced with something he craved. He strode over to where the two lavished their attentions upon the beautiful man, each of them peeling away and melting into the crowd at Thor’s approach. He stood before him, taller though not by much, and utterly enchanted. The Captain looked up at him, earnest but with something of a challenge, and before Thor had even made the conscious decision, their lips met in a bruising kiss that contrasted sharply with the blurred quality of the rest of the evening. 

Thor had barely tasted him before he was gone, disappearing among the guests as his companions had done before him, leaving Thor disorientated and wanting, the sensation of where the Captain’s hand had rested on his lower back fading to nothing. Before he could attempt to follow, Heimdall appeared before him, eyes white and strange and speaking of things Thor could not comprehend, and from then on, things only got more alarming. 

Whether it was this sudden shift in mood or the result of the external battle fought by his teammates that brought him back to consciousness, Thor was unsure. Even later on, he never thought to ask. His face was pressed to the cold floor of the factory as he blinked himself back into reality, the grandiose golden halls and their occupants faded to nothing, and Barton hauling him to his feet. It was difficult to get his head straight as he stumbled after the others. The whole thing had seemed so real, and yet it could only have been some trickery. 

The vision – for despite how tangible it had felt in parts, that’s all it had been – haunted him. Or perhaps haunted was too sinister a word, but it was hard to banish from his head all the same. Though the edges of his recollections were dull, certain details stood sharp – the grim battle carved into the stone of the walls, a yellow jewel at the throat of a dancing girl, the face of the Captain finding his across the crowd. For it had undoubtedly been Captain Rogers he had seen. Whether it had been the intention of the strange girl who’d infiltrated their heads to show him this as well as Heimdall’s tirade, or whether something had gone astray and unlocked a dormant thought already present within him, he could not say. But regardless of its origin he could not shake it. 

So wrapped up was he in the approximation of his home and his people, the mockery of Heimdall and his grave and accusatory words, that he barely even looked to the others as they journeyed back to the tower. Each seemed as withdrawn as the rest, frowning and muttering to themselves as they fought the scenarios that had been forced upon them. Only Stark and Barton remained themselves, exchanging concerned glances as the rest of their team sat in varying states of unrest. Natasha looked considerably ruffled, which was unnerving in itself, and Dr Banner looked more unwell than Thor had ever seen him. And Captain Rogers… well, he looked as though he’d fared no better than the rest. He usually appeared calm in the face of crisis, determined. But as he sat in the corner wrapped in a blanket, unsettled and frowning at his hands, Thor wondered what it could be he had witnessed to upset him so. If he hadn’t felt so thrown off course himself, then perhaps he might have tried to speak with him, comfort him, but there was nothing to be done for now. It was not the right time. One thing was for certain in this mess they’d been cast into – Thor had a great deal of thinking to do before he could ever approach Captain Rogers on the subject of his vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may do another chapter where Thor and Steve actually talk to each other and maybe snog a little bit or whatever  
> Edit: A friend suggested the man and woman feeling up Steve could be Bucky and Peggy, and I am 500% ok with this. Gold dusted Peggy? Win.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The promised second chapter in which they bang. It’s not that graphic though tbh, it barely scrapes an M rating. This took longer than I wanted it to. Partly because I’m still figuring out how to write them both (I’ve written nothing but Downton Abbey fic for nearly two years, it’s a big change) and partly because I started writing a really dumb bike shop/cake shop AU for them pffft.

From something Tony had said along with the desolate faces of the rest of the team as they’d flown back to the city, Thor understood that they’d all experienced things similarly unsettling in the confines of their own heads. Admittedly, it was Heimdall’s words that gave him the most cause to worry, but there was no denying that the unexpected presence of his fellow Avenger was equally perplexing. Though he was aware it might be inappropriate to enquire, he was curious as to what Captain Rogers had seen – perhaps there was some factor they had overlooked that would link what they’d been shown, and give some clue as to its meaning. Once the thought occurred to him, he was unable to curb his impatience, and sought him out as soon the team were safely back and cleaned up after their disastrous mission. 

“Captain?” he found him making his way towards the kitchen, hair still damp from the shower.

“Thor,” he nodded.

“May I speak with you?”

“Sure,” Steve spared him a smile, though his eyes remained tired. “What’s up?”

“I realise it may be an obtrusive thing to ask, but after the nature of what I saw when the girl infiltrated our heads, I cannot quell my curiosity. What was it that she showed you?” 

Steve frowned, most likely trying to think of a way to phrase his own tormenting vision in a way less personal, that omitted any painful details. “The past. I was in a place, and with… someone, from my past,” he looked somewhat pained. “I wanted to believe it was the real thing, that everything was as it was meant to be, you know? But… well, there was something not quite right about it.”

“I see,” Thor flashed him a smile. Though he hadn’t said much, he was glad Steve trusted him enough to say anything at all, if what he’d seen had been as personal and unsettling as what Thor had. “Thank you for telling me.” 

“No problem,” Steve returned his smile. “And uh, what did you see?”

The image of the Captain from his vision flickered into life, dark eyed and golden, his hand pressed to the small of Thor’s back. It was difficult to look at him in the same way as he had done previously, after such a thing. “Much the same,” he said, “familiar but not quite as it should be.”

Steve nodded, understanding, and moved off into the kitchen. Wanting to talk further on the subject but realising the Captain had deemed the conversation over, Thor held his tongue and joined the rest of the team, digging food out of the cupboards and discussing the plan of action for the morning.

~

Later that night, so late that he suspected Steve would be asleep – he had often professed a fondness for early nights that Thor found utterly endearing – he went to Captain Roger’s rooms. The lateness of the hour could be forgiven, surely, when the matter was so pressing. Thor hadn’t been able to sleep, unable to banish the image of the Captain’s head tilted back in pleasure as the unknown man mouthed at his neck, the fleeting sensation of their lips meeting. He would find no peace until he’d satisfied his curiosity, and at least told Steve the full truth of what he’d seen. He knocked, loud enough to wake the Captain but hopefully no one else. The door was answered sooner than he expected; it appeared that Steve had forgone his usual ritual of turning in early.

“Steve… I did not expect you to be awake still.”

“Oh. I uh, I couldn’t sleep. After today…” he scratched at the back of his head, “you know how it is. You wanna come in?”

“Thank you,” Thor nodded in thanks and stepped inside.

Steve sat on the couch, knees apart and slumped against the back, assuming Thor would take the chair. He didn’t, and sat next to him instead. Steve raised an eyebrow at the proximity, but said nothing of it. He still looked somewhat tired, and Thor almost wished he’d had the patience to leave this until the morning. Almost. 

“Was there something you wanted?” Steve said. “It’s an odd time to call in just to talk.”

“Ah, but that is exactly what I do want.”

“Oh?”

“Captain,” Thor began, getting straight to the heart of the matter, “I told you earlier that the girl showed me a warped image of my home, of Asgard. That was the truth, though not all of it.”

“What?” Steve sat up, eyes wide and grip tight on the arm of the couch. “Did she let slip some clue about Ultron’s plans? Thor, this is the kind of thing you really have to – “

“Calm yourself,” Thor put a hand on Steve’s shoulder to still him, “it is nothing of that sort.”

Shaking his head, Steve relaxed back onto the couch. “Look Thor, we all saw some messed up stuff, it’s OK if you don’t want to – “ 

“What I saw concerns you Captain Rogers, therefore I feel it’s your right to know.”

“Oh?” Steve looked up at him, curiosity clearly written over his face. “Well then I guess I should hear it.”

“Before I begin…” Thor hesitated, for the first time wondering if it would be selfish of him to tell Steve what he’d seen in order to alleviate his own worries, if it was something the Captain wouldn’t wish to hear. “I’m not sure you will like it.”

“Doesn’t matter. If you think it’s important, then go ahead.” He gestured for Thor to speak.

“If you wish.” Thor angled himself a little more towards him as he spoke. “I was back on Asgard, at a feast in my father’s halls. The room was filled with people laughing, dancing, dressed in all their finery – jewels and silks and dusted with gold. The sort of scene I have lived a thousand times. It all fell into place so easily, that it took me some time to notice something was awry.”

“Sounds familiar,” Steve said grimly. 

“But then I looked out across the hall, and I saw you. Everyone’s faces were blurred, but for yours. I didn’t know who you were, other than someone of importance to me, and someone who should not have been there. I could not remember your name, it didn’t hit me until after I woke. And,” he smirked, “there were no stars or stripes to assist me; you were dressed in Asgardian fashion.”

Steve gave a quiet huff of laughter. “Gold dust and all?”

“Yes.”

“Huh. Must have been quite a sight.”

“Indeed,” Thor grinned. “Though you weren’t alone. There was a man and a woman at your side, running their hands over your body and clamouring for your attention. You gave it freely. You are not offended, I hope?”

“No,” Steve coughed and shifted in his seat, “no of course not. Um, what next?”

“The two of them moved off as I approached. I stood before you, and you looked up at me in challenge, those beautiful eyes of yours darkened with desire.” Thor was suddenly very aware of the space between them, thick and heavy as clouds before a storm, the increased speed of Steve’s breathing, his mouth slightly open, and the way he gripped hard at his knee. “Shall I continue?”

“Please.” The Captain’s voice was low and cracked, and directed towards the carpet.

“I cannot say who it was that moved first, but our mouths met, hard and wanting. It was so fleeting I barely had time to taste you, to feel your touch on my skin. Then you were gone and things became… less pleasant.” He refused to let it ruin the moment, Heimdall’s grave words would keep until the morning. “I have not stopped thinking of you since.”

“Right.” Steve’s face was flushed pink as he blinked himself back to the present. “Thor?”

“Yes Captain?”

“I’m going to kiss you now. That ok?”

“Yes.”

This time, Thor could say for certain it was Steve who moved first. His hand was gentle on the back of Thor’s neck as he pulled him into a kiss, the soft touch a lingering reminder of his steadfastly polite attitude to courting. But Thor did not want polite. They would have time for the niceties later, when Ultron had been vanquished and the world set to rights. He bit softly at Steve’s bottom lip, pushing against him, letting Steve feel the weight, the strength of him. To his delight, Steve pushed back, fingers tugging at Thor’s hair and deepening the kiss.

They grew messy and careless, teeth knocking in their eagerness, and Thor drew away to nip at Steve’s throat as he pushed him onto his back. Steve chased him up for another kiss, Thor rucking up his shirt to run his fingers over his chest, a scape of his nails making Steve mutter obscenities against his lips. Not to be outdone, Steve hooked his leg around the back of Thor’s thighs, pulling him closer and rocking them together. Thor groaned at the shock of feeling it sent through him, rolling his hips down and pressing Steve into the couch.

Their desperation was such that they didn’t bother to properly undress; pushing shirts up to press open mouthed kisses across each other’s chests, tracing the taught lines with their tongues and drawing teeth over sensitive skin. Keen as he was, Thor took a moment to suck a beautiful pink mark into the skin below Steve’s collar bone, making the Captain gasp and press his fingers hard into Thor’s hips. Though mortal, Steve was far from delicate, and Thor revelled in it. The rest of their clothing seemed heavy and oppressive, fingers fumbling at the fastenings. Steve slipped his hands under the waistband of Thor’s underwear, palms flat against his backside as he arched up into him. Unwilling to wait any longer, Thor pushed Steve’s clothes away as best he could, and took his cock in his hand. A lovely, deep whine came from somewhere in Steve’s chest, and he grabbed Thor by the back of the neck again to kiss him, hard and fast through shallow, panting breaths as Thor worked him with his hand. 

~

“I truly did see you within the girl’s trickery you know,” Thor said later, when they were both on the edge of sleep. He wasn’t tired as such, but sated, and content, more so than he had been in a long while. He pressed a soft kiss to Steve’s shoulder. “Though I suspect it was simply my own desires making themselves known, rather than her intention.”

“Really?” Steve seemed both pleased and embarrassed as he twisted in Thor’s hold to look at him. “I mean, I didn’t think you were lying exactly, but I kinda thought it might have been a line.”

“A line?” He’d heard the expression before, but the context escaped him.

“Yeah. You know,” he swallowed, uncomfortable, and Thor’s eyes followed the bob of his throat, “something you say when you want to get somebody into bed.”

“You suspected I crafted the tale in order to get you into my bed?” He laughed softly. “I thought you knew me well enough by now to realise I am no wordsmith, Captain.”

“Mm. Well you might be better than you think.” He hesitated, his body tensing against Thor’s chest. “So… it was only what you saw in the vision that made you… feel that way about me?”

“No,” of this Thor was certain. “I believe my feelings for you have been present for some time Captain. Seeing your face in the mirage the girl showed me allowed me to see them for what they are, encouraged me to speak out, that is all.”

“Huh,” Steve relaxed again, lacing his fingers with Thor’s where they rested on his hip. “So where exactly can we get some of that gold dust you say I was wearing?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But what if Thor appeared in Steve’s vision as a dashing fighter pilot or whatever ohohooo. But then I’d feel bad bc I love Peggy so much.


End file.
